[Legal status as at January 2019]

At the outset, it should be noted that the maintenance obligation is burdensome not only to relatives in a straight line, that is, people coming from one another (both the initial ones - parents and grandparents as well as descendants, ie children and grandchildren), but also siblings. The maintenance obligation, with the fulfillment of additional premises, may also weigh on the stepchild, stepmother and stepfather.

The maintenance obligation is charged according to the order of the spouse, descendants, ascendants and finally siblings. Siblings will be obliged to alimonate in the event that there is no other person obliged in a closer order or if the obliged persons are unable to fulfill their obligation. The maintenance obligation of a sibling depends on the earning potential of the obligee. Maintenance can be demanded by a person in need. It is important, from the point of view of the person liable for maintenance, to evade his or her duty in the event that it causes undue damage to the obligee or his immediate family.

With reference to the maintenance obligation imposed on the stepmother or stepfather, its creation is possible only if it remains consistent with the principles of social coexistence. Moreover, this obligation arises only when the stepchildren who are entitled to the provision of stepchildren is in short supply.

Similar conditions must be met in the case of the reverse obligation, i.e. the stepchild's duty to maintenance for the stepmother or stepfather. Thus, the prerequisites for the maintenance obligation are the financial possibilities of the stepchild and the state of want of a stepmother or stepfather. In addition, the legislator introduced an additional restriction, according to which the stepmother and stepfather can demand that the stepchild should fulfill the child's maintenance only if they were involved in the upbringing and maintenance of the child.